"nj959" (nj959)
05/17/2019 at 10:30 • Filed to: None
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"nj959" (nj959)
05/17/2019 at 10:30 • Filed to: None | 0
| 13 |
Well I’m now three for three on cars with annoying and difficult to diagnose a/c problems. If someone here could help me I’d be very grateful.
My ‘09 Accord does not seem to want to engage the compressor when the car is warmed up and idling (at around 6-700rpm). I’ll hear the clutch engage, the rpms will drop and the car will vibrate quite a bit, and then the clutch will disengage within about half a second or so. However, it will work just fine when driving or even at a stop if I raise the rpm up to at least ~1100. Both fans work perfectly fine. I noticed that the high side service port was leaking, so I had it replaced and the system recharged: no luck. So I brought it back in, it was diagnosed as a faulty compressor clutch. The compressor was replaced: it’s exactly the same as it was. At this point I think I may have to throw in the towel and get ready to bend over at the dealer since no one else can seem to figure it out, but I figured I may as well ask if anyone here has any ideas.
Two other things I’ve noticed:
1. When driving at night, whenever the compressor engages the headlights will momentarily dim. I did have the alternator and battery checked, but they came back ok. Is this normal?
2. Occasionally the compressor will come on at idle, usually if I’ve driven the car for at least 20-25 minutes. However, when it does the whole car shakes and vibrates quite a lot. Now I realize that it’s only a 2.4l I4, but it seems excessive to me. My brother’s Mazda 3 only has a 2.0l I4, and you can hardly tell whenever the compressor comes on.
Any ideas?
CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
> nj959
05/17/2019 at 10:45 |
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My main AC issue
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nj959
> CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
05/17/2019 at 10:46 |
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F
E90M3
> nj959
05/17/2019 at 10:47 |
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I know you said you had the alternator checked, but h ave you put a voltmeter on the alternator? Do it’s while the car is running without the AC on, then put the AC on and see if there is a dip in voltage. It could be dis engaging the clutch on the compressor so it has enough power to spin the alternator. It sounds like the AC is fine, it seems like it’s something electrical .
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E90M3
> CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
05/17/2019 at 10:51 |
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I assume the song playing was planned.
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CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
> E90M3
05/17/2019 at 10:52 |
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lol! I never actually noticed that.
no way man. Total fluke, this is an old pic I took the morning after I bought the car in a starbucks parking lot
Michael
> nj959
05/17/2019 at 11:05 |
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If it’s old school with an a/c idle up valve or idle air control valve, check them for blockage or sticking. The motor has to let more air in to create additional power to run the a/c, so if they’re blocked or stuck and the idle drops, the ECU may automatically disengage the a/c clutch to get the motor back to proper idle again.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> nj959
05/17/2019 at 11:06 |
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Any ideas?
Buy the DeSoto in kiltedpadre’s post, because it doesn’t have A/C.
Okay, for a serious remark, it sounds like the orifice tube or receiver/dryer might be caput. You can have sufficient pressures/refrigerant, but if the compressor is trying to push it through a restriction in the system...
RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
> CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
05/17/2019 at 11:08 |
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I also have his issue, but it hasn't really bothered me much! I just crank down a window and wear light clothing!
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CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
> RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
05/17/2019 at 11:11 |
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The issues with that are a) I have to look “professional” so jeans/dress shirt at a minimum and b) we get bad fires and smoke, I really worry about that.
GoodIdeaAtTheTime
> nj959
05/17/2019 at 11:42 |
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Issue 1 is normal. The compressor introduces a large load on the system. No worries. Issue 2 could be a bad engine/trans mount. Or there is a restriction in the system causing high side pressure to sky rocket further loading the system causing an issue. Need to check a/c pressures and check temperatures to determine what the issue is. Being an 09, the a/c controller and ecm will have some level of data logging/ live data viewing to see what the car is seeing. Should be relatively painless to sort out. Maybe a couple hours at a dealer or KNOWLEDGEABLE repair shop.
merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
> E90M3
05/17/2019 at 12:27 |
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Along those lines, might want to check you have good ground connections as well. But I would think you’d have other goofy issues if that were the case.
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nj959
> E90M3
05/17/2019 at 13:04 |
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That’s a good idea. What exactly should I be looking for with the voltage? Should it not change at all when the clutch kicks in, or is it ok if it drops a bit but then comes back up?
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nj959
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
05/17/2019 at 13:06 |
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Yeah seems like most people are saying it’s either an electrical issue or a blockage somewhere. Looks like I’ll probably have to have the dealer at least diagnose it. If it’s just an alternator or something like that I could probably do the actual work myself though.